How to Read a Word

by Elizabeth Knowles

Language is not fixed, but evolves over time, and exploring the routes taken by the words can lead us on fascinating journeys. How to Read a Word , written by the noted lexicographer Elizabeth Knowles, shows us how to explore the origins, associations, and evolution of words, focusing in particular on two what questions can be asked about a word? And how can they be answered?

How to Read a Word offers clear guidance on how to explore the various aspects of words, with chapters on pronunciation, spelling, date of first use, etymology, regional distribution, and meaning, all spiced with intriguing examples. For instance, Knowles offers a fascinating account of how the word "scientist" originated in a public debate in 1834, explains The Economist 's jocular suggestion that "fish and chips" be spelled "ghoti and tchoghs," and weighs in on the "nuclear-nucular" controversy. Knowles also discusses the ever-expanding range of sources available to the curious word-hunter, from general and specialist dictionaries to websites devoted to areas of language, from Project Gutenberg and Google Book Search to various online newspaper archives. Knowles shows readers how to use this sometimes overwhelming mass of resources to get the best result, and how best to interpret the evidence retrieved. We learn, for example, how to use Google News to search the phrase "thin as
a " as used today, uncovering hundreds of variants, from "thin as a supermodel" to "thin as a lizard."

Thought-provoking and practical, this guide provides readers with the essential tools to confidently interrogate the words by which we are surrounded. How to Read a Word is the perfect gift for anyone who is fascinated by the development and intricacies of the English language.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction

180 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2010

Reviews

[Michael Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

A great many books have been published over the past fifty years alone on the origin and meaning of various unusual English words, phrases, and idioms. I know, because I’ve read most of them. Knowles has a long history of involvement with Oxford UP’s dictionary-publishing tradition and what she attempts here is not another collection of anecdotal mini-histories but a systematic discussion of how one properly investigates word origins and usages. In the early days of the OED and its successor publications, this meant paging patiently through books and newspapers and journals, hunting for examples -- and that, in fact, was Knowles’s first job. Nowadays, though, the publication of so many full-text sources on the Internet makes the search much more efficient and (potentially) more complete.

Unfortunately, Knowles doesn’t seem to quite know how to go about explaining what she so obviously comprehends. The chapter on types of dictionaries, what they’re actually for, and how to read an entry, wavers between providing unnecessary details on the obvious to saying nothing at all about the not-so-obvious. “Where to Look for Answers” relates her own anecdotal pre-computer experiences but mentions only a handful of well-known websites on English word usage. I reread the “Understanding What We Have Found” a couple of times and still didn’t find much about interpretation -- just a few more anecdotes. And throughout, she skips madly about from one subject to another and back again, making it difficult to keep track of anything.

And the last 40% of the book (which runs less than 200 pages in any case) is all appendices, which largely repeat in outline form what the author has stated earlier in the book. Sadly, Knowles has missed the opportunity to take popular interest in lexicography (such as it is) in a new, more organized direction.

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the title seems presumptuous, I was excited to hear of this book by a lexicographer from the staff at Oxford. I expected myriad allusions to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) as the holy grail of etymology – and there were quite a few – but they were reasonably placed. Due credit was accorded to Dictionary.com, Wikipedia and several new and interesting private sources.

Most of the text explains how to research an interesting word or expression using, of course, the OED and the Oxford corpus. I found most of these chapters redundant and slightly boring. Anyone who has used google for research is familiar with the basics listed here, so being told repeatedly how to do a keyword search can get a bit tedious. It's word origins 101, but the author is most likely hoping to reach a broader audience.

I enjoyed the vivid word examples and origin histories provided. I almost wish there were more. For example, the increasing validity of the word "nucular" proves that typos and mispronunciations, however moronic, turn into accepted words eventually (of which apparently I too am guilty, as my use of "typo" indicates). Researching "blue moon" revealed some insights into astrology and folklore. The appendices were most helpful, from "Pathways to English" highlighting the eras and dates of derivative languages, to "Dictionary History." The chapter on the word "satsuma" is particularly enlightening. My suggestion to readers is to begin with the glossary, then read the appendix, then the text.

[Sam Berner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I would enjoy a book on lexicography, written by one of these "word-people" :-) But this took me a breezing two days to finish. It is so well written, so full of stories, and so interesting, that you want to go to bed with it. Yum!

[Jean Hess]

Will pick it up often and peruse -- not to be read in one sitting. Bedside table!

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the book trailed off by the concluding run of chapters, initially I felt that there was a lot of helpful if relatively basic information being presented in logical and clear explanations. I attribute my long reading time to the lack of necessary engagement with the book's core material. There is little sustained interest across the chapters, which makes sporadic, as opposed to sustained, reading choices preferential.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about words and how to research them.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowles delivers a great set of tools for digging into words' etymologies. I find this book a must-read for those interested in lexicology.